Relapse
by Linkin41
Summary: The words started to smear together into a fuzzy image. She blinked a few times, trying to clear her eyes. "Annie, are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine."
1. Chapter 1

_I still don't own Community, but I do have Season 1 on DVD._

The study group met that afternoon, focusing on finishing a paper due the next day in their Biology class. Once most of them had stopped snickering("Guys, it says _organism,__" _said a flustered Britta,) they finally got to writing. Jeff glanced over at Annie, noticing how fast her pen was going across the paper. He shrugged, figuring it was just her wanting to finish early. She stopped briefly to re-read what she wrote, but had difficulty. The words started to smear together into a fuzzy image. She blinked a few times, trying to clear her eyes.

"Annie, are you okay," Jeff asked, his eyes flicking back to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Annie said, plastering a fake smile on her face.

Jeff looked to the others skeptically, but didn't say anything more. Once her vision cleared, Annie went back to writing.

_Psst, Annie._

Annie didn't look up, ignoring the voice.

_Annie...Annnnieeeeeee. _

Her eyes darted around, finding nothing. She went back to her paper.

_By the door, Annie. By the door._

Her eyes went to the door, finding a little girl standing there.

_I'm going to kill them, Annie._

Her eyes widened. Abed looked up and noticed her frightened expression. He followed her eyes and found nothing there.

_I'm going to kill them all, Annie._

Annie saw that the little girl had a knife in her hand, waving it menacingly at her.

"Annie," Abed questioned, "what are you looking at?"

_I'm going to chop them up into tiny pieces and you're going to watch._

Abed's question had gotten the attention of the group, who now had their eyes on her. Jeff noticed her hands were shaking.

"Annie," Jeff called to her, concerned.

_Jeff Winger will be first to die._

"NO," Annie shouted.

Britta looked to the others, unsure of what to do.

"I WON'T ALLOW YOU," Annie continued.

Troy suddenly started having a strange feeling of Deja Vu.

_You can't stop me, Annie. _

Annie stood up, walking to the door.

"Sweetie, what are you doing," Shirley asked cautiously.

"I will stop you," Annie said to the little girl in a threatening tone.

_Not if you don't catch me first._

"COME BACK HERE," Annie shouted, running out of the study room.

"ANNIE," The group shouted, leaving their seats and following her.

"Oh my god," Troy said running, "this almost exactly what happened at Riverside High!"

Suddenly, the group stopped and looked at Troy, "WHAT?"

They turned their heads at Annie's sudden screaming and the sound of broken glass.

"RUN AWAY, SHE'S GOING TO KILL YOU!"

The group ran toward the library entrance, finding one of the glass doors shattered.

"Oh my god," Britta said, covering her mouth in shock.

They stepped outside, discovering Annie lying at the bottom of the library steps rolling around. A crowd started gathering around her, staring at her.

"No...go...kill…," Annie said as she spotted the group.

Jeff jumped down the steps, pushing people out of the way and got on his knees next to her, carefully taking her in his arms.

"Run," Annie said, looking to him, "she's going to kill you."

Jeff looked in her panicked eyes, not knowing what to say. He looked up at the crowd angrily.

"GO AWAY," Jeff shouted at them.

The crowd cleared away, not wanting to get on his bad side.

"She's already stabbed me, look."

Sure enough, there were huge chunks of glass coming out of her body. Blood was seeping through her cardigan, Jeff paling at the sight of her.

"Help is on the way," Shirley said from the top of the library steps.

"It's too late," Annie said, her eyes moving away from his and looking afar.

"No, it's not," Jeff said, trying to keep it together, "It's not too late. We're getting you help. We can save you."

Blood started pooling on the ground and on his clothes.

"It's too late," Annie kept saying, "run...run…"

Her eyes closed, head falling back.

"Annie? Annie," Jeff exclaimed, "Stay with me! I'm not going to lose you!"

She didn't respond.

"Annie," Jeff repeated her name, "No no no no no."

The group watched, horrified and heartbroken as Jeff searched for any sort of life. Pierce was inconsolable, leaning on Britta as he cried. When the paramedics finally arrived, they pulled Annie away from Jeff, pushing him back. When they put her in the ambulance, Jeff attempted to ride in the back of the ambulance.

"You're not family, sir," One of the paramedics said to him.

"Her family dis-owned her years ago," Jeff pointed to himself and the group behind him, "We're her family. I can assure you that I'm one of her emergency contacts."

The paramedic sighed, "Fine. Hop in."

"Which hospital are we going to," Jeff asked.

"Greendale General."

Jeff looked back at the group, "Greendale General."

They nodded, rushing to Shirley's van.

"They're going to follow behind us," Jeff said, getting inside the ambulance.

The paramedic nodded, shutting the door as the ambulance sped off.


	2. Chapter 2

_Still don't own Community, sadly._

When Annie woke up, she found herself looking at a white ceiling. This wasn't her apartment or the study room or anywhere familiar. Then she heard the beeping of the machines next to her. It dawned on her she was in the hospital, but what for? That was when the memories started flooding back. The little girl, running, glass shattering, bleeding. Jeff.

Her eyes wandered over to the side of the bed. Jeff sat in the chair, head resting on his hand. From what she could see, it looked like he had been crying.

"Jeff."

He looked over to her, a mixture of relief and sadness washed over him.

"Let me get the Doctor," Jeff said, stepping out of the room briefly.

After the Doctor came in and checked her vitals and fluids, he gave her more medicine and left the room. Jeff scooted his chair closer to her, taking her hand into his.

"You scared us," Jeff said, "you scared me."

Annie looked down guiltily, "I'm sorry."

He sighed, "When did you start taking Adderall again?"

She avoided his eyes, "A few weeks ago. I had so many projects due and so little time. I needed them to focus."

"Where did you get it," Jeff asked.

Annie paused.

"I just want to know," Jeff said, "I'm not mad at you or anything. I just want to know."

"I convinced Rich to write me a prescription for it," Annie said.

Jeff clenched his jaw.

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you guys," Annie said, "this is all my fault. I should have never taken those pills. That's three years of sobriety down the drain."

"I'm just glad you're alive right now," Jeff said, "I thought you were dead in my arms. There was so much blood."

Jeff swallowed back his memories, silencing himself.

"How long have I been here," Annie asked.

"Two days," Jeff replied, "Two very long days."

Annie finally noticed Jeff's state of hygiene. He had changed his clothes, but his hair was more messy than usual. His beard had also gotten more scruffy from the two days of growth.

"You never left, did you," Annie asked.

Jeff shook his head, "Britta brought me a change of clothes and food."

"Where are the others?"

Jeff glanced down at his watch, "They're in class right now. I should let them know you're awake."

"Don't," Annie said, "I'm not ready to face them yet. It's bad enough with you here."

"Please look at me."

Her eyes swiveled to him, tears threatening to fall.

"You know we all are beating ourselves up over this, right," Jeff said, "especially Troy."

"You have no reason-"

"We noticed the signs," Jeff continued, "we saw them, plain as day, and didn't do a single thing about it. Why? Because we just thought it was just you being an over-achiever. Not because you were on Adderall again.

"Jeff-"

"We didn't do anything and then you OD. Again," Jeff said, "We all let this happen."

Tears rolled down Annie's cheeks, "I guess all of us are feeling guilty."

Jeff nodded, "I'm sorry that we didn't step in sooner. We're terrible friends."

Annie shook her head, "A terrible friend would have just left me lying there on the ground. A terrible friend wouldn't have called an ambulance. A terrible friend would also not have stayed at my bedside for two days."

"Fair enough," Jeff said.

Annie let go of his hand and shifted to the other side, patting the empty space.

"Please?"

Jeff stood and got into the bed next to her, both of them moving about until they were comfortable.

"What happened two days ago was the scariest moment in my life," Jeff said as Annie curled up under his arm, "and it made me realize something."

She glanced up at him.

"That if you didn't make it, you would never know how I felt about you," Jeff said, "So I'm telling you right now. I...I have really strong feelings for you. More than just being your friend. Or best friend. Or any sort of friend. Why is this so difficult to put into words?"

"I get it," Annie said, "I feel the same way about you, but…"

Jeff's eyes met hers.

"How can you feel this way about me? I'm an addict," Annie said, "How can you have these feelings for an addict?"

"You're not an addict," Jeff said, "you're a former addict who fell off the wagon."

"I didn't just fall off the wagon," Annie said, "I fell into the rabbit hole and nearly died because of it. This is going to affect my life and everything I've worked for."

Jeff sighed, "Your life isn't over, Annie. You haven't lost anything."

"I lost my sanity," Annie said, "you didn't see the little girl who was threatening to murder everyone."

"Is that why you were telling me to run," Jeff asked.

"She said she was going to kill you first," Annie said.

"That explains...a lot actually," Jeff said, "but that wasn't you losing your mind. That was the pills."

"Exactly," Annie said, "those pills have ruined my life again. I'm probably going to be kicked out of Greendale."

"Not if I or the study group do something about it," Jeff said, "Look, we have this all figured out. Pierce is going to pay for everything. The hospital bills, the damage to the school, etcetera."

"He doesn't-"

"He's going to because you're his favorite," Jeff said, "we're also moving you out of your apartment."

"What," Annie exclaimed, "why? And where are you moving me to?"

"First, we never liked the idea of you living in that neighborhood alone," Jeff explained, "and second, you're going to need support for every step of your recovery."

"Right, I'm going back to rehab," Annie said, "you never said where I'm moving."

"You're moving in with me," Jeff said.

"Really?"

"All of us are going to be supporting you, but you need a stable environment," Jeff said, "my apartment is that stable environment."

"Are you sure you want to do this," Annie asked.

"I want to be with you every step of the way, no matter how ugly it gets," Jeff said, "I want my Annie back."

She grinned up at him. He returned her smile, kissing her forehead.

"Your life isn't over, you're just starting it over," Jeff said.


	3. Chapter 3

_I wish I owned Community.  
><em>

_Several months later_

Annie sat in Jeff's apartment in silence, staring at her phone. He had left a couple hours ago, fuming from their argument. Annie couldn't even remember what they were even arguing about, but it turned into a shouting match between them and he walked out.

She sighed, they knew there would be days like this in her recovery. But there were also days where she was content and happy about life. Like the day the group decided to catch a game at the ballpark. Sure, their team had lost and Britta kept trying to convince them how baseball was just one big, gay analogy("They're hitting balls with sticks, it's right there."), but she was happy to be surrounded by her friends.

Suddenly her phone rang, causing her to jump. She picked it up, relieved to see Jeff's name on the screen.

"I'm so, so sorry," Annie said, answering

"_Annie, __it__'__s __okay.__ Really,__" _Jeff replied, _"__I__ shouldn__'__t __have__ walked__ out.__"_

"You had every right to," Annie said, "I was being stupid and shouting at you for no reason."

"_Look, __the__ fight __passed, __it__'__s__ done,__" _Jeff said, _"__I__'__m__ not__ mad __at__ you __and__ you__'__re__ not__ mad__ at __me __from __the __sound __of__ it,__ we__'__re __fine.__" _

Annie sighed, "Where are you?"

"_I__'__ve __been__ at__ Troy__ and __Abed__'__s__ cooling__ off,__" _Jeff said, _"__I__'__ll__ be__ home __soon, __okay.__"_

"See you soon," Annie said, hanging up.

Living with Jeff proved a lot less awkward than she thought it would be. It actually felt natural for the two of them to share a living space, which was a surprise for them. He had kept his word about keeping a stable environment for Annie, turning his home into a safe haven she never had.

Moving day was the hardest for her and everyone else. As they were moving her stuff either into storage or the moving truck, they would find her stashes of Adderall and empty pill bottles hidden in nooks and crannies of her furniture or the room itself. After finding the umpteenth empty pill bottle, Jeff sat down in the middle of her furniture-less living room and clutched it in his hand. He looked down at it, unaware that the others had stopped and were now giving him curious looks.

"_We had no idea how bad it was…"_

_Jeff looked up at Annie, "I'm so sorry."_

_She furrowed her brows, "For what?"_

_He shrugged, "Just...for everything you've gone through."_

_The group remained silent._

_Annie shook her head, "You didn't cause any of that."_

"_No, but someone has to apologize for it."_

_That was when Troy dropped the box he was holding and went to Annie, embracing her tightly. She knew he was still beating himself up over what happened, having witnessed it for a second time. Then Britta approached, hugging her. Then Shirley. Then Abed. Eventually, it turned into group hug. Jeff was the final one to saunter over and join, making sure to crush the pill bottle under his boot. _

Annie was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard the front door open. She hopped up and nearly tackled Jeff as he entered, wrapping her arms around him.

"Woah, I wasn't gone that long," Jeff said, chuckling and returning the hug.

"Easy for you to say," Annie said, "you were probably watching a movie the entire time."

"I was," Jeff said, kicking the door shut behind him, "Abed and Troy thought Plan 9 from Outer Space would be entertaining. It wasn't."

"I'm so glad you're home," Annie said, "I'll never shout at you like that again."

"It was just as much my fault as it was yours," Jeff said, "we can both share the blame for this one."

Annie nodded, "Fair enough."

The two plopped down on the couch, Annie curling her legs up and leaning on Jeff.

"I thought you weren't coming back," Annie said, "I thought you finally had enough of me and all of...this."

Jeff looked at her, "First of all, this is my apartment. I have no other home to go to. Second, I told you that I was going to be with you every step of the way. No matter how bad it got, remember?"

Annie sighed, "I just...my mother and father abandoned me the first time around."

"And you were expecting the group and I to do the same," Jeff said, "not happening. You're stuck with us whether you like it or not."

Annie smiled up at him, giving him a peck on the lips, "Good, because it's family day tomorrow."

After countless months in a rehab facility, Annie still had to go to weekly NA meetings.

"Who were you planning to bring along," Jeff asked with a raised brow.

"I almost considered bringing Britta," Annie answered jokingly.

He laughed, "That sounds like a good idea. Bring Britta and watch as she advocates rights for them or something."

"That was a terrible attempt at a joke."

"That movie sucked out anything witty I had in me."

"That's not a good excuse."

"You didn't see it."

"It couldn't have been that bad."

"Fine, I'll look it up on Netflix and we'll watch it together."

Jeff reached for his laptop on a nearby table, booting it up.

"Are you available tomorrow around seven," Annie asked.

"I think I can pencil you in," Jeff answered.

Annie smiled, "Great."

Jeff finally pulled up the movie, setting the laptop between them.

"You're right, I can feel my wit being sucked out of me," Annie said.

"Told you," Jeff said, putting his arm around her.

"You're not going to make me watch the whole thing, right?"

"You're watching every second of it."

"Fantastic."


End file.
